MSMEs in Vapi urge the GPCB to create a committee before issuing closure letters for violations of environmental standards.

Vapi (Gujarat): The medium and small size companies in the Vapi industrial estate have urged the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) to create a committee to give required instructions before issuing closure letters for failing to comply with environmental regulations.

The medium and small scale companies in Vapi industrial estate claimed in a representation filed to GPCB chairman Sanjeev Kumar that the unit owners fight for survival due to the coronavirus epidemic and global economic recession. In such circumstances, closure notifications should not be provided to the units.

Instead, a fair chance must be given to the unit owners to submit their case before the GPCB’s special committee. The precise instructions to be followed would be issued to the units about environmental norms and processes by the newly created committee.

According to the Vapi Industries Association (VIA) officers, the small scale units face difficult times due to the coronavirus epidemic. The GPCB will have to adopt proactive steps to involve industrial units in meeting environmental standards rather than issuing closure letters in the first place.

“If the industrial units do not comply with the environmental norms in the second attempts, GPCB should serve such units with closure notices. The XGN site for the industries members is user friendly compared to the online sites of other government departments,” stated Satish Patel, honorary secretary of VIA.